Rowan Tree  (Mountain Ash)

 The rowan is not only a colourful eye-catcher in the garden, but also attracts birds. How to plant and care for the tree in your own garden and how you can use the rowan berries, you will learn here.

Rowan trees, called Mountain Ash in some parts, are a small to medium-sized, deciduous native. It is a good tree for taller screening. It produces white flowers in June followed by large bunches of red berries that are very popular with birds. In autumn the foliage turns a warm mixture of yellows, reds and pale browns.
Rowan is a very hardy tree that will grow on exposed with poor, rocky soil. However, it is shaped easily by the wind and will grow on exposed hillsides with poor, rocky soil. However, it is shaped easily by the wind.

 It is slender in form, although mature trees can be quite substantial. Multi-stemmed forms are quite common. This is usually a result of browsing by mammals. The tree sends up new shoots from its base in response to being eaten.

Rowan leaves are compound and pinnate in form. This means that each leaf is made up of matched pairs of leaflets on either side of a stem or rachis, with a terminal leaflet at the end. Leaves are up to 20 cm. in length, and are comprised of 9-15 leaflets, which are serrated with small teeth. Rowan is a deciduous tree, with the new leaves appearing in April. They turn a bright orange-red colour in autumn before being shed.

How to plant

The mountain ash is ideal for a bird-friendly and nature-oriented garden – so planting it is worthwhile! What’s more, it’s very easy to do:

• Timing: the best time for planting mountain ash is in the spring after the last frost. However, autumn is also possible.

• Location: It is best to choose a semi-shady to sunny location. The hole you dig should be as large as the roots of your purchased young tree. Be generous in width and depth. The roots of the mountain ash require sufficient space, so choose a location with a distance of about three to four yards from the nearest rooting tree or larger shrub; two yards from smaller plants is sufficient. You should also make sure that there are no wires running at least two yards below.

• Soil: Mountain ash is a hardy tree that thrives in a variety of soils and can handle numerous acidities. However, it grows best in loose soil with high nutrient content. That means you can loosen the soil, put the young plant in it and top it up with organic fertilizer, such as compost. If you also mix the soil with sand, you not only loosen the soil, but also make it more permeable to water.
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Caring for the tree

• Watering: The rowan does not like dryness, but you should avoid waterlogging. Make the watering frequency and amount dependent on the weather. Water more when it is dry for a longer time and less when it rains for a longer time. As a young tree, you should water the rowan regularly. Since the lime content is not important for the mountain ash, you can use both tap water and rainwater. The latter is sustainable and easy to do: collect rainwater: How best to collect and use it.

• Fertilizing: You usually don’t need to fertilize the rowan. If you notice that the flower or fruit is growing less, you can fertilize the tree, for example, in the autumn with your own autumn leaves.
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  Pruning: You should only prune the mountain ash if it is proliferating or if you want to keep it small as a shrub. It is best to prune the mountain ash in spring. Cut directly above the shoot base so that the tree is not weakened unnecessarily. Note, however, that the tree will not bear fruit afterwards. So, if possible, do without it.

The plant we supply is a sapling about 6 to 18 inches high in a 5 inch pot.